MotoGP series leader breaks new records with US GP win, whilst Pedrosa overcomes pain to finish in fifth place.
Marc Marquez continued the momentum of his phenomenal MotoGP rookie season by taking another race win to add to his collection. He did so at the United States Grand Prix, round nine of the 2013 campaign. The Repsol Honda rider claimed his third victory –his second in a row– and became the first newcomer ever to triumph at the tricky Laguna Seca circuit. Teammate Dani Pedrosa was able to stave off the pain of a left collarbone fracture suffered one week ago, concluding the race in fifth.
Marc Marquez’ victory gives him two new records in the history books: He is the first rookie to ever win at Laguna Seca and also the youngest rider to win two consecutive premier class contests –overtaking Freddie Spencer’s record from the South African and French Grands Prix in 1983. The Spaniard rode another superb race, including a pass on Valentino Rossi at the top of the circuit’s trademark Corkscrew descending chicane on lap 4 and a definitive overtake on Stefan Bradl on lap 19.
Dani Pedrosa had a more difficult race, starting from seventh on the grid and gaining a position off the line. He stuck onto the back wheel of Jorge Lorenzo, overtaking his rival on lap 12. He was too late to challenge Rossi and Alvaro Bautista in the podium fight, but was able to take fifth place and maintain his title challenge. The series arrives at its midway point with Marquez and Pedrosa the top two in the overall standings, with 163 and 147 points, respectively. Behind them, Lorenzo has 137.
Dani Pedrosa >> Audio
5th at 9.257 sec.
“First of all, I want to thank everyone who has supported me over these past few days. This was a race in which it was very important to take points. I was seriously considering sitting out this race, because the conditions were very difficult, so I am very happy to have taken fifth. We were close to the podium, but on the final laps I found things very hard. I think that I held up well in the race, although I was in a lot of pain the entire weekend. At least I was able to grip the handlebars and control the bike. A lot of times moving the bike makes it tough for you and it is difficult to ride a long race. In the end, the 11 points are very important for the championship”
Marc Marquez >> Audio
1st – 44:00.695
“I am very happy, because we weren’t expecting this result from our first visit to Laguna Seca. I didn’t think I would adapt so easily to such a tricky circuit, but from the first day of practice I felt very comfortable and quickly found the best lines. Today I was a little cautious at the start, because with a full tank it is easy to make a mistake, but when the tyres got up to temperature I was able to maintain the pace from practice. I overtook Valentino in a similar spot to where he passed Casey in 2008, although the passes were a little different because his was more spectacular! Later I was able to pass Stefan after studying him for a number of laps, and then I tried to build a gap in order to win the race by a comfortable margin.”
